Nevada History

Fundamentals of Nevada History

Fundamentals of Nevada History

Nevada was originally part of the Utah Territory before it became its own territory on March 2, 1861. Nevada was a federal territory, which meant financial and political support for the Union cause. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864, eight days before the 1864 presidential election. There was an urgency to bestow statehood upon Nevada to ensure Abraham Lincoln’s reelection, which would result in keeping the Republicans the dominant force in Congress as the Civil War came to an end.

Bowers (1996) stated, “The State of Nevada continues to function under its 1864 constitution, although that document has been amended over 140 times” (p. 26). The Nevada Constitution has had several key provisions. Preliminary Action, which requires the state to have a constitutional convention, is the first prefix provision. A few other provisions have declared that marriage be allowed between male and females, allowed the use of medical marijuana, and set limits for minimum wage.

Nevada has suffered a difficult history concerning civil rights. Almost from the beginning, the delegates of Nevada proved that equality would be a hard-earned struggle when these men agreed with Article 2, which stated that only White males would have the right to vote. The minority groups that have been most affected by discrimination are Native Americans, Chinese, Hispanics, African Americans, homosexuals, and women.

The Native American people had land taken from them and were forced to live on reservations. Although some land has been given back to the Native Americans, it does not make up for the violence and loss these people have suffered. The Chinese and African American people who settled in Nevada also faced blatant discrimination, and often violence. This demographic was forced to accept menial jobs in the service occupation. Women’s main struggle has been to gain economic equality. Women in the workplace...